This invention relates to camp cooking kits that are light weight, compact, and designed for use in wilderness camp cooking situations. Specifically, this invention is used to strain hot or cold water from a cook kit pot when boiling or re-hydrating is the means of preparing a selected food item, such as pasta or dehydrated beans. A secondary use due to its shape and composition is that of a cutting board.
Various manufacturers have supplied reliable strainers for domestic and commercial use. These strainers are typically bowl or pot shaped and may incorporate one or more features such as: a single handle, a pair of handles, or an extended handle and legs. These strainers contain drainage holes that vary in number and size in proportion to the items to be strained. The volume of these strainers also varies from small to large. The material of their construction varies as well. The most common today is plastic. Aluminum and stainless steel are also used. Some strainers are incorporated into the lids of specially designed pots. In such cases, the material of their construction is typically aluminum or stainless steel.
The straining operation is a simple one. The strainer is placed in or held over a sink or a large bowl or service pot. The hot pot containing boiling water and the food to be strained is poured into the strainer so that the strainer catches the prepared food. The strainer and the used pots are placed about the cooking area as meal preparation continues and addressed later during clean up. A conventional strainer and the procedure described above work well in a domestic or a commercial kitchen, but doing the same in a wilderness camp cooking situation can be hazardous. The known strainers suffer a number of disadvantages including:
(a) The size and shape of conventional strainers favor a countertop or sink work area; something not available in a wilderness cooking situation. As a substitute, the ground, an old log, or a semi-flat rock are generally less than adequate. At any stage of the process, the cooking pot, the strainer, or service pot can be set down and thereby rendered vulnerable to tipping, accidental bumping, dropping, kicking, or invasion by chipmunks.
(b) The size and shape of conventional strainers are not conductive to camp cooking techniques, compact packing, and transport in a backpack.
(c) The procedure exposes the user of the strainer to injury from splattering boiled water.
In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, a camp cook kit strainer comprises a flat body that is circumvented by an outer side rim and has one or more pairs of gripping handles. Between each pair or within each one of the gripping handles is a notch or slot feature that guides a securing strap. A top surface of the strainer body contains one large strainer port or two opposing strainer ports that are perpendicular to the gripping handles. To accommodate a range of cooking pot sizes, one or more concentric arc segments project from a bottom surface of the strainer body to function as alternative rims. The securing strap can include a hook and loop fastening system, together with a D-ring accessory, to secure the strainer to a cook kit pot for performing the actual straining process.
Another embodiment includes a similar strainer body without handles. However, notches or slots are retained in the strainer body to guide the securing strap, which wraps around both the strainer body and a cook kit pot. Handles are attached along the securing strap for emptying cook kit pots through the attached strainer body.
Various objects and advantages of the camp cook kit strainer include:
(a) To provide a device and a procedure for straining hot or cold water from a cook kit pot securely and reliably without compromising the prepared contents when exposed to potential dropping, accidental bumping and kicking, or invasion by chipmunks.
(b) To provide a device that is not only conductive to compact packing and transport but complements stock camp cook kit design and camp cooking techniques.
(c) To provide a device and a procedure that reduce the risk of burns from splattered boiled water.